Neither the occurrence of a terrorist attack nor the deaths of people who were widely loved was easy for France to bear on Wednesday. But as people gather in French cities to mourn, there are hopes that the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper will help spark a conversation about radicalism in France.

Growing up in France, I remember my older brothers guffawing behind Charlie Hebdo's pages of vivid cartoons. Many French people may have disliked Charlie Hebdo’s approach — I was not always a fan myself — but its output embodied freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I hope it can find a way forward in spite of this atrocious attack.

Updated

01/07/2015 - 5:00pm

French publisher Arash Derambarsh was just a boy when he first watched cartoonist Jean "Cabu" Cabut on a popular French kids show. As an adult, he went on to publish Cabu's work and that of many of the cartoonists from Charlie Hebdo, including editor-in-chief Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier.

A French magazine ignited a storm of controversy on Wednesday when it published a series of cartoons that lampoon and mock the Islamic Prophet Mohammad. The publication comes just days after a video produced in the United States, also deemed offensive to Muslims, set off days of protests across the Middle East and Africa.

Growing up in France, I remember my older brothers guffawing behind Charlie Hebdo's pages of vivid cartoons. Many French people may have disliked Charlie Hebdo’s approach — I was not always a fan myself — but its output embodied freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I hope it can find a way forward in spite of this atrocious attack.

A French magazine ignited a storm of controversy on Wednesday when it published a series of cartoons that lampoon and mock the Islamic Prophet Mohammad. The publication comes just days after a video produced in the United States, also deemed offensive to Muslims, set off days of protests across the Middle East and Africa.

Updated

01/07/2015 - 5:00pm

French publisher Arash Derambarsh was just a boy when he first watched cartoonist Jean "Cabu" Cabut on a popular French kids show. As an adult, he went on to publish Cabu's work and that of many of the cartoonists from Charlie Hebdo, including editor-in-chief Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier.

Neither the occurrence of a terrorist attack nor the deaths of people who were widely loved was easy for France to bear on Wednesday. But as people gather in French cities to mourn, there are hopes that the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper will help spark a conversation about radicalism in France.